Your team culture is like a sewer…

What is the definition of culture? I don’t know. Despite this topic being of great academic interest to me, I am no closer to finding a definition now than I was before it became the focus of my research.

“Culture” is not an axiomatic term, each academic paradigm defines it differently (anthropology, social psychology, sociology, etc.), and its understanding is not consistent across paradigms. For example, “culture” to an Anthropologist is not the same “culture” to a Social Psychologist.

Instead of trying to define it, I prefer to focus on what culture does. Culture, however you define it, is the answer to the question “who or what are we?” The process of answering that question, the process of acculturation, is a process of binary coding. In other words, “culture”, at least as I understand it, is the collective repository of all the elements that a group defines themselves as, and conversely, the opposite of those elements. For example, if a group defines themselves as empathetic, they simultaneously define themselves as opposed to that, apathetic.

It is important to take note of this binary characteristic of culture because both the positive and negative exist simultaneously in the collective group consciousness. What we are defines what we are not, and vice versa. An understanding of this binary relationship is essential in the creation of cultural signposts, the “things” that groups use to map out this binary landscape. This mapping is a continuous process based on social learning a symbolic thought. Your group is literally always mapping out its binary boundaries through language, symbols, rituals, stories, etc.

This mapping process is fragile and susceptible to breakdown if conflicting “codes” are entered into the system. In other words, if you say one thing, but do another, the coding process goes haywire and the mapping process no longer provides a clear direction towards what is accepted and what is not. I call this “the map to nowhere” because it leads teams to, you guessed it, nowhere. You simply cannot build a strong culture on conflicting messages, real or perceived.

I say all of this to make a simple point—binary mapping can, and should, be intentional. While the emergent quality of group identity cannot be controlled, you, as the leader, can feed the system with the signposts that influence the coding process. Say what you do and do what you say—this provides the clearest indication to your team as to who you are, both individually and collectively. Fail at this, and I can almost guarantee your culture will start to erode.

Are you living your values? Do you do what you say? Is your team living its values?

Culture is like a sewer, you get out what you put in.